Composition of matter and process for manufacturing the same.



s. M. LILLIE. 4 COMPOSITION OI MATTER AND PROCESS FOR MANUFAGTURTNG THE$AMB.

APPLICATION I'TLED AUG. 29} 1911."

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

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INVEII TUB jwm SAMUEL MORRIS LILLIE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNS YLVANIA.

COMPOSITION OF MATTER AND PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURIITG THE SAMEApplication filed August 29, 1911. Serial No. 646,754.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I SAMUEL MORRIS LILLIE, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Composition of Matter and a Process forManufacturing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

The composition of matter is a composite h product from the conversionof starch,

which has for its component parts two or more sub-products of starchconversion (to give them a name) which have been carried to differentdegrees of conversion respectively, but of which each has all its starchcarried to approximately the same degree of conversion, 6. g. eachsub-product has had all its parts subjected to practically the sameconverting efl'ects of water, heat and converting reagent. For example,divide a mixture of starch, water and acid into three portions andsubject one portion a all of it toIa temperature of say 250 Fahr. forfour (4) minutes-and no more, another portion 6 all of itto the sametemperature for six (6) minutes," and no more, and the third portion 0all of it to the'same temperature for eight (8) minutes, and no more,each of these sub-products a, b and a will be constituted throughout ofparts having approximately the same degree of conversion, and thecomposite product will have for its component parts the sub-products a,b and 0. Each of these sub-products is a composition of matter, whichis,.I believe, new, viz. a partially con verted starch product, of whichthe constituent parts have approximately all the same de ree ofconversion, 2'. e. have all been Sub ected practically to the sameconverting conditions of water, heat and converting agent.

For the manufacture of this composition of matter or composite product Iprefer to use a continuous converting process and apparatus such as aredisclosed in my Patent No. 959,237, dated May 24th, 1910, which includea method of an apparatus for preheating by which considerable of theheat used in the conversion of the starch is recovered and is used forheating purposes. In the accompanying drawings is shown in plan acombination of three converting vessels, each similar to the convertingvessel shown and described in my said patent,

namely A A and A", a pressure reducing tank T common to all theconverting vessels, and heaters H and H also common to the threeconverting vessels. The tank T,

and heaters'H and H are similar to the pressure reducing tank andheaters of my patent above mentioned. ByQthis combinatlon of two or moreconverting vessels, the two or morecomponent parts (sub-products) of thecomposite product may be made continuously and simultaneously and becontinuously mixed to form a composite liquor as hereinafter described..By any one of the converters may be made the composition ofmatter,'referred to .above, which has all of its constituent parts ofthe same degree of conversion approximately.

A general description of converting the starch as practiced in eachofithe convert- .1ng vessels is as follows: The process of treating thestarch consists in mixing the starch w1th water and acid to form amixture of the desired mobility and acidity in quantities sufiicient tosupply requirements;

in forcing the said mixture of starch, water and acid continuously andat a uniform rate of flow, corresponding'to the quantity of productwanted, through suitable heating devices and heating it therein underpressure to the desired converting temperature, say 280 degrees Fahn,making this heating period so brief that the starch mixture on leavingit will have suffered only a partial conversion; in delivering this butonly partially converted heated mixture with an even distribution overthe cross section of a column of the mixture, to which no more heat isadded, moving uniformly through a containing-vessel in which vessel thepressure is maintained not less than that corresponding to theconverting temperature to which the mixture-has ,been raised; inwithdrawingtfrom the end of the column the mixture at the same rate atwhich it is being delivered to the column at the opposite end, 2'. e.,the uniform rate necessary to produce the desired quantity of product ina given time; in varying the length or depth of the said column ofmixture to vary the length of time the liquors shall be subject to theconverting temperature and proximately at thetime it leaves the end l ofthe column, or just-prior to this. This process of heating andconverting the starch is fully set forth in my said U. S. PatentReferring to the drawings: A single pressure reducing tank T serves forthe three converting vessels or converters A A A the discharge pipe D.of each converter leads into it and is fitted With a valved.

The three converters are served also by a single pre-heating systemwhich is represented by the two heaters H and H H being a low pressureheater in which the vapors released in the common pressure reducing tankT are employed in heating the cold starch liquor ashereinbeforedescribed, and H being a heater in which high pressure steamis employed "for a further heating of the starch liquor preparatory topassing into one or more of the converters. A starch liquor feed pipe tothe heater is represented by h A fliquor conducting pipe h leadsfrom-heater H to heater H anda discharge pipe indicated by dotted linesfor the heated starch liquor leads from heater H which pipe has threebranches- B B B g-leading into the upper parts of the several convertersA A A The 30, branches are provided with suitable valves b b b,'respectively.

The'combination of apparatus shown in the drawings may be employed formaking the composite product of converted starch, composed of the saidthree subproducts a 'b and 0 as follows, which it will first be assumedare to be mixed in equal proportions by volume to make thecomposite-product. .Assuming now that the 40 apparatus in Fig. 2 is infull operation, and

that the three converters are making res ectively the threesub-products, the conitions are as follows, viz

The acidified starch liquor is flowing from the liquor pipe k in to theheater H, and

from it through the heater H into the three converters, and through thesame into the tank T at an approximately uniform total rate sufiicientto supply the quantity of P composite product wanted in a unit of time;The valves inthe liquor conducting branch pipes B B B leading from theheater H into the three converters respectively, are adjusted so thatthe flow of the starch liquor is the same into all of the converters,and by means of the discharge valves d of the three converters the depthof liquor in the three are, respectively maintained in the mannerdescribed in my U. S.

Patent #959,237, such that the acidified starch liquor in each issubjected to the influence of the high temperature in the converter theduration necessary to produce the degree of conversion desired in thesubproduct made'in that converter. For example, supposing the sametemperature in all the converters and the durations needed to make thethree sub-products wanted are four, six, and eight minutes respectively,v

then by means of the discharge valve 61 of, say, converter A the liquorlevel is maintained therein at a height to cause the parts of the liquorto be four minutes in passing through it; in the second converter A theliquor is maintained at a depth by thedis charge valve d to cause theparts of the flowing liquor to be in it six minutes and in the thirdconverter A the parts of the liquor are made by the discharge pipe cl tobe eight minutes in passing through the converter, then there will beflowing into thepressure reducing tank T three subproducts each of anearly uniform compo sition and having respectively degrees ofconversion due to four, six, and eight minutes subjection to theconverting temperature, and which mixing, or mixed together, form thecomposite product desired.

If it should happen that it was desired to mix the said threesub-products in unequal proportions by volume, then the three feedvalves 6 b 6 to the respective converters would be set so that the flowof liquor to each converter would hear to the total flow of liquor theproportion desired, and the depth of liquor maintained in the converterwanted for its product. If each of the feed valves 6 b b be of the gatevariety with ports rectangular, narrow and long, with the length in thedirection of the travel of the gate, and the gate be rectangular, the

that which gives the degree of conversion 3 and the third convertercould be used for another product. If more than three subproducts werewanted in the composite product then if they were to be madesimultaneously there should be as many concreters as sub-products.

Neutralization of the acid in the products of conversion may be made inthe subproducts separately before mixing or in the mixed or compositeproduct.

I do notlimit myself to the exact pro cedures and apparatus describedherein,.for

departures may be made from each without passing beyond the scope of my"invention.

I claim as of my invention consisting of a mixture of two or moresub- 1. A composite starch conversion product 7 products of starchconversion, each sub product having all its parts of approximately thesame degree of conversion;,but

the degree of conversion of each sub-product being materially difi'erentfrom that of every other sub-product.

2. The process of making a composite starch conversion product of thecharacter ,described consisting in making the subproducts simultaneouslyeach in its own con verter,' in discharging them simultaneously fromtheir respective converters and in mixing together the severalsub-products.-

3. The process of making a composite starch conversion product of thecharacter 'described consisting in making the subproducts simultaneouslyeach in its own converter, in discharging them simultaneously from theirrespective converters, in mixing together the several sub-products, andin mixing the vapors from the several converters and heating with themixed vapors the starch liquor on its Way to the several 5. The process.of making a composite starch conversion product 'of the characterdescribed, consisting in making the "subproducts each by itself and inmixing together the subproducts in the proportions desired to form thecomposite product.

s. MORRIS LILLIE.

Witnesses: I

COLIN D. SMITH, W. A. MOMAHON.

